WFRIS: Monitor ADHD Impact's On Your Life

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What is the WFIRS?

The WFIRS was developed to measure how ADHD impacts your life. This is different from your symptoms: a person may only have few symptoms of ADHD, but be really impacted by those symptoms. The WFIRS therefore looks at common struggles associated with ADHD across the following categories:

• Family
• Relationship quality, satisfaction and ability to need balance etc.
• Work (if applicable)
• Meeting expectations, co-worker relationships, unemployment etc.
• School (if applicable)
• Performance, relationships, staying in school etc.
• Life Skills
• Daily activities like hygiene, chores and moderating screentime etc.
• Self-Concept
• Confidence, self-esteem, happiness etc.
• Social Life
• Managing conflict, creating and keeping friends, participating etc.
• Risk Behaviour
• Aggressive driving, unprotected sex, involvement in crime etc.

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How do I interpret my score?

A higher score indicates higher impairment in any given area. If you score more than 1.5 in any given category, this would indicate that you struggle in that area. It is always important to reflect on the personal meaning of your score. For example, many people have issues with their family that are unrelated to ADHD. Those people are likely to score as highly impaired in the ‘family’ area on the WFIRS. This does not mean that your ADHD symptoms caused issues with your family. As such, take your scores with a grain of salt, and reflect on what they mean to you. The WFIRS is a tool, not an authority.

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What can I do with my score?

1. Many clinicians like to periodically use the WFIRS to assess how well your ADHD treatment is working. For example, you can take it before starting a new medication and again after two weeks on the new medication. If your scores improve, it indicates that the treatment has had positive impacts on your life. Talk to your treatment team about using the WFIRS if you think it would help you.
2. The WFIRS can help you to better understand how ADHD impacts you. For many people, this can feel validating and therapeutic.
3. The WFIRS can help you create and stick to bite-sized goals. For example, you can identify and work on your risk taking behaviour instead of trying to tackle everything all at once.

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Does a high score mean I have ADHD?

The WFIRS is not validated for use in diagnosing ADHD. There are better diagnostic questionnaires like the ASRS V1.1, however, a diagnosis can only be made by a qualified clinician.

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Is the WFIRS a well-respected test?

The WFIRS is a widely used and well respected test.

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Reference

Weiss, M. D., Wasdell, M. B., & Bomben, M. M. (2005, May). Weiss Functional Impairment Scale-Parent Report (WFIRS-P): a new measure of impairment associated with ADHD. In 158th annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association.

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